Sterling's purchase of the team was encouraged by his friend Buss, who is also the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. Buss was also very helpful in allowing the Clippers to relocate to Los Angeles.
But the two teams are so different. Many Los Angeles fans never even watch Clippers games. Sterling has long lost patience.
Moreover, the old NBA labor agreement expires this year, and the new one has not yet been negotiated. There may be a lockout. The lockout means that we will lose money this year. He is just waiting for some bad guy to show up and buy his team.
And today, he seems to have seen success.
This man is the second richest man in the world. With so many assets, it doesn’t matter if he loses his fortune, right
He spent $12.5 million to buy the team back then, but now the team is worthless at all. Apart from the Bulls, the New York Knicks are also valued at just over 100 million. His team's record is as good as With such a huge difference in popularity, it would be difficult to sell it at a high price, but for US$70 million, there should be hope, right? After all, this team is also in Los Angeles.
"Hello, Mr. Feng, I never thought I would have the honor to sit and have dinner with you."
Sterling's gesture made Donald stunned for a moment. When did this guy become so polite
"Hello, nice to meet you. Donald should have told you why I'm here. Are you interested in selling the Clippers?" Feng Yu asked directly.
"Of course I'm interested, otherwise I wouldn't come. To be honest, I'm still a little reluctant. After all, this is Los Angeles and there are too many basketball fans here."
Feng Yu curled his lips and said, "Don't talk nonsense. There are indeed many basketball fans in Los Angeles, but they are all Lakers fans, okay?" The Lakers have so much glorious history, and even now, they are still a strong team. What is the history of the Clippers? The team is at the bottom again this year. Are there any fans willing to watch
"As long as you are interested, I understand that this team belongs to you alone, so as long as you agree, that's it. How much do you plan to sell it for?"
"How about ninety million dollars?" Sterling asked.
Before Feng Yu could speak, Trump sneered: "Sterling, don't be kidding me. Last year, nearly one-third of the shares of the New York Knicks were sold for 30 million U.S. dollars. Your team costs 50 million U.S. dollars." How many people are interested?"
"Trump, you can't say that. More than ten years ago, I spent US$12.5 million to buy the team. Now, how many times it is is not too much, right? Tickets have increased so much. Well, there are more fans." Sterling defended.
"If it's the Lakers, not to mention 90 million US dollars, 100 million US dollars is still worth it. But for the Clippers, 50 million US dollars is very reasonable to me. The team has no glorious history, no well-known All-Stars, and even die-hard fans None of the fans. What's more, sometimes the value cannot be measured by converting the original price to the current price. Feng is also the owner of the Empire State Building. How many years has the Empire State Building been, and the original price even fell below the construction price? The team It’s normal for the value to drop, right? What’s more, $50 million is a lot.”
"No, no, no, that's a building. As it ages, more and more investment is required, and the value will naturally fall. But now that it has been renovated, hasn't it also risen? The team is even more different. Ours The team is working hard to get better, and if it weren't for injuries this year, it wouldn't be so bad."
"Really? But even if you made it to the playoffs that year, you didn't sell many tickets, right? You don't have any good stars at all, and you don't have a record, so how can you attract fans?"
"But this year we may get the No. 1 pick. We just need to select a future superstar. I think the black big man is good." Sterling defended.
Feng Yu's eyes widened. This must be the joke that the Clippers made back then. They chose a guy also named Michael, but his surname was Olowokandi. In the end, it was proven that he was a watery No. 1 pick in the second round. Signing may not be worth it!
Originally, Sterling thought that this big man could at worst become Mutombo, maybe even Olajuwon!
"First of all, you haven't won the No. 1 pick yet, and secondly, even if you get the No. 1 pick, you may not be able to perform at a high level. You use a future that you don't know whether it will succeed to ask us for a higher price? Don't you think you are? Are you kidding?" Trump said disdainfully.
Feng Yu likes Trump so much. This guy is very interesting, and he must have read a lot of information before, otherwise he would not be able to speak clearly. This negotiation was so awesome that Sterling was almost speechless!
Sterling was helpless. Only then did he realize that Trump was actually here to help Feng Yu lower the price. In fact, one of Trump's words is very reasonable. If the Clippers are selling for 50 million US dollars at this time, few people are really interested. If they operate normally, they will definitely lose money. No one wants to be in a losing business, right
"Then how much do you think is appropriate?" Sterling asked angrily.
"I think $50 million is good. The price is reasonable. If you sell the team and invest in the real estate you are most familiar with, you will make much more than this."
"Are you kidding? I originally bought it for US$12.5 million. A few years ago, the Houston Rockets were sold for US$85 million. It's absolutely impossible for you to ask me to sell it at a loss. Seven thousand five One million, this price is very reasonable, this is Los Angeles after all! And I can guarantee that the team will definitely get the No. 1 pick this year!"
The league seems fair, but in fact there are still hidden operations. Besides, if a bad team does not have a star to stimulate it, when will it turn around? That will affect the image of the entire league!
"Houston was there because of Hakeem Olajuwon. Can the Clippers match the attendance rate? What if the NBA is suspended next year? We will lose money, even a lot. Needless to say, those words to fool others , We will never pay such a high price, 55 million, this price is already very high, so don’t be a lion."
While in the car, Trump asked Feng Yu about his price. Unexpectedly, Feng Yu said that US$100 million was acceptable.
Of course, if the price is less than 100 million US dollars, he can get 10% of the price difference as commission, so he works hard to lower the price.
The two Trumps argued for a long time, and Feng Yu made the final decision: "I will make one offer of 70 million US dollars. If you agree, that's it. If you don't agree, I will buy another team, which may be cheaper." maybe."
Sterling looked embarrassed, but actually he was already happy. US$70 million can buy a very good team. If the Clippers were not in Los Angeles, they might not be able to sell it for US$50 million.
"Okay, Feng, I agree. We can sign an agreement first, and I will report it to the league. After getting approval, the deal will be official."
Feng Yu reached back, and Ralph handed over an agreement with the price filled in. Feng Yu signed his name and handed it to Sterling: "After you sign, give me the contract."
(End of chapter)